incidents and accidents, hints and allegations

_Pacific Rim_, a love letter to Kaiju and giant robots, manages to defy expectations throughout. American exceptionalism is irrelevant, as the world is saved by a multinational (and multi-racial) coalition; nerds with disabilities save the day by being themselves; and the story arc, although narrated by a white male, is centered around a woman of color. Is _Pacific Rim_ (with its huge global box office) a harbinger of things to come? What can other filmmakers learn from this movie?

Make-believe worlds can be as rich and diverse as the real one, right? We'll talk about the Carl Brandon Society's role in this: the organization's Parallax and Kindred Awards (given out this weekend at Arisia!), the Octavia E. Butler Scholarship, the grants to fen of color via Con or Bust. What are people in our community doing to promote diversity? What can you do?

"Welcome to Night Vale" has become the most popular podcast on iTunes over the last year. A creepy take on small-town life in the Southwest, replete with conspiracy theories, bizarre humor, and a dog park in which neither dogs nor humans are allowed, it's both entertaining and scary, and has generated a huge fan community. Come if you're interested in learning about what makes the show so popular, to discuss favorite moments, or to speculate on where the story is headed.

We’ve all been there. You’re reading a book, and that thing happens. Maybe it’s a small thing like poor research or plot holes. Maybe it’s a huge thing like a gratuitous tragedy done for nothing more than shock value. This panel will discuss some moments where they felt like throwing a book across a room.

Much fanfic has a large interest in QUILTBAG themes. Maybe your fic involves making characters of the same gender fall in love with each other, having a character established as cis turn out to be trans, or asking if Sherlock has never shown any interest in a "proper" Victorian marriage because he's asexual. Can fanfic writing and QUILTBAG activism potentially intersect? What does it mean that fans of works with cis, straight characters are looking for more variety in the fiction they consume?

Kate Nepveu, Julia Pilowsky, Adrienne J. Odasso, Cassandra Lease

Who's coming? Who's not but will be around that weekend? As you can see, I have large chunks of Saturday & Sunday free and would love to hang out with people, over meals or otherwise.